Amarillo By Morning
by ollixanna
Summary: AU Season 6. Peyton is about to marry Lucas in a storybook wedding designed by Brooke Davis. Things take an unexpected turn when Peyton gets cold feet and Julian Baker makes an appearance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or anything else you might recognize.**

**AN: This has been a long time coming. Inspired by something NathanPeytonFirstLove sent me.**

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><p>Peyton lounged on the chair in the living room of the house she shared with Brooke. Or would share for another day at least. Her wedding was only forty-eight hours away and she needed to call everyone involved and double check that everything was going to go smoothly. As she went through all the agreements she had signed, she caught sight of something that stood out as odd.<p>

Reaching for her phone, she dialed the number at the top of the invoice and waited for someone to answer.

"Hi, I need to speak to Edward, I believe."

"Well hello, Edward, my name is Peyton Sawyer. I am calling to cancel to cancel the doves scheduled to be released at my wedding. The Sawyer-Scott wedding on Saturday."

"Yes I know that's what it says on your order form, I have a copy right here. But I can assure you that I would not order doves for my wedding."

"I am cancelling forty eight hours before the event, so I don't see why this is an issue."

"No I'm not cancelling the entire wedding. Just the doves."

"Forget it, bring the doves, or don't. I don't care anymore."

"Have a good day sir."

Peyton sighed as she tossed her phone onto the coffee table. As much as she loved her best friend, she was really taking this wedding a little too far. Peyton loved the concept of a simple service on the river court. But after Brooke got involved, the simple service turned into a huge event, still at the river court. But with tents and tables and caterers and hired wait staff and doves! She also didn't know who Brooke invited to get the guest list near a hundred people. It did not help that Brooke insisted that some guests remain a surprise.

Frustration building inside of her, she picked up a pillow and screamed into it.

There were times when she sincerely wished she had never agreed to marry Lucas. For several reasons, the least of all being the absurdity of the size of the wedding, and the most glaring being the fact that it was mere weeks since his last wedding blew up in his face. But once everyone heard the news they were all so happy and Peyton couldn't stand to ruin everything again. She knew she had some sort of feelings for Lucas, but the closer the wedding came, the more she began to question just what those feelings meant.

As she set the pillow back in place and picked up the stack of invoices again, her best friend strode in carrying a bag of take out. She smiled at Peyton and said, "Well it's nice to see you made it out of bed, and shockingly before noon!"

Peyton made a face, then recalling her very recent conversation with the dove man, she said, "Doves. Really Brooke? You ordered doves for my wedding?"

Brooke rolled her eyes as she continued to busy herself in the kitchen. "Doves are cute…"

"How on earth you managed to pull this all together I will never know but when I said you could help, I was envisioning us decorating a few trees or stringing up some lights. Not planning and paying for such an expensive wedding…" Peyton said as she held up the invoices.

Brooke held her hands up and said, "Stop right there P. Sawyer-soon-to-be-Scott. I love you, and I don't care how much it costs. I just want you to have an amazing wedding, something so great it will make every other memory pale in comparison."

Peyton looked at her friend and her excitement, and all the fight left her. "Alright, you win. In two days, I will be at the center of this magnificent wedding you've so generously put together. And I promise you that I will never forget it."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I know we kind of lost touch for a while, but this is important to me. To help you with the wedding, any way I can."

"I know that Brooke. And I appreciate it, really I do."

"And it's not like you aren't contributing," Brooke said quickly and returned to organizing the takeout she had brought home. "The doves were supposed to be a surprise."

Peyton raised a questioning eyebrow and then asked, "What other kind of surprises can I look forward to?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to be surprised about," Brooke said as she handed Peyton a plate and sat down beside her on the couch. "Leave the invoices to me. I already confirmed everything yesterday, and I can assure you that there will be no kinks on your wedding day."

"Alright Brooke Davis, alright," Peyton said as she set her plate on the coffee table and gathered the invoices and placed them on the farther end of the table. Picking her plate up, she paused, "But can we talk about just one thing?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"How did you get a hundred guests? On a month's notice?"

"I don't think you realize it, but you know a lot of people P. Sawyer. And despite Lucas' previous wedding fiasco, plenty of people he knew were still interested in coming to see him wed the girl from Ravens," Brooke said, a smirk making its way upon her lips as she spoke the title of the book.

Peyton rolled her eyes, and said, "I can't believe you told people I was the girl from Ravens. It's completely unfair to call me _the_ girl, because, have you read the book? You're in it too."

"But the end is what matters, and he said now and forever."

"And then almost married someone else," Peyton said argumentatively.

Brooke froze and then slowly turned to face her friend. "Peyton, are you getting cold feet?"

"What? No… Of course not!" Peyton said quickly, in a manner that caused Brooke's eyebrows to rise skyward and her food to be placed on the table.

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, you are not a convincing liar right now," Brooke said seriously. "Tell me exactly what you're thinking, and exactly when it started."

"I'm not thinking anything. I promise," Peyton said as she shifted ever so slightly away from Brooke.

"Ah ha! You did that move away thing! You're lying! Spill!" Brooke said as she pointed accusingly at Peyton.

Peyton set her food down again and ran her hands nervously across her thighs. "Maybe it kind of feels like this all happened a little fast. Maybe Lucas is just jumping into another marriage a little too fast. Maybe I was a little to hell bent on seeing this through."

"All of these feelings just appeared, today?" Brooke said, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Maybe it slowly built up to this point?" Peyton said, drawing the words out.

"Maybe Peyton Sawyer should have talked to Brooke Davis about this sooner, before Brooke Davis invited one hundred people to watch a once in a lifetime, storybook wedding unfold before their eyes."

"Maybe Brooke Davis should stop talking like Chris Keller, and not judge her best friend," Peyton replied, standing and beginning to pace. "Maybe it is just cold feet. It is a big commitment. I'm sure it will be fine. It's not like we just met."

"Hold on Peyton. Let's just slow down and take a step back. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to judge you, or sound like Chris Keller. And don't discount your feelings. You guys did kind of just meet again and you're right he was about to marry someone else. What you're feeling is perfectly acceptable. Just sit down and we'll decide what to do," Brooke said as she patted the couch.

Peyton stopped and then fell into the couch. "It's the right thing to do, to marry Luke, isn't it Brooke?"

Brooke opened her mouth to speak but closed it soon after. After a pause, she said, "Peyton, honey, no one is forcing you to marry him. If you're having second thoughts, say so now. No one is going to be angry."

"But everyone is so happy, and my dad is coming, and Karen and Andy and Lily, and whoever else you invited. And Derek! He took special leave to come here. And all the work you've put into this. I can't just make that all for nothing because I'm a little scared."

"What's there to be scared of Peyton? You've never been in love with anyone else the way you are with Lucas. That's got to mean something."

Peyton shifted uncomfortably and then said, "You're right. This is silly, it will all turn out fine."

Brooke eyed Peyton, and then said, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Peyton met her best friend's questioning gaze, and then sighed. "Well, maybe I was in love with someone else before we came back."

Brooke's mouth fell open slightly, and her eyes widened with shock. Sputtering she asked, "Who? When? Where? How…?"

Before Peyton could answer, there was a quick knock on the front door followed by Lucas poking his head in. "Is lunch already ready? I guess I am running later than I thought."

Peyton's eyes implored Brooke to not say anything as Lucas sat down on the couch and made himself comfortable. Brooke stood quickly and said, "Let me get you a plate. I got take out. It was on my way home."

"I'm the one who is running late," Peyton said as she got up and gave Lucas a quick kiss. "I have to get dressed. You have lunch and I'll be right out."

"Take your time, I don't think we have all that much to do today," Lucas said.

Peyton smiled at him just before she disappeared into her room. "I'll be quick anyway."

Brooke returned with a plate for Lucas and sat down once more. With a smile, she asked, "So Luke, how are you feeling now that the big day is only two days away? Nervous? Excited?"

Lucas gave Brooke an odd look, but answered, "Happy. Very happy."

"You don't have any reservations about Lindsey? Not to press the point, but you did say 'I do' to her a few weeks ago."

"But she didn't. And when everything settled down, I realized everyone was right, I was still in love with Peyton. And it wouldn't have been fair to marry Lindsey under those circumstances," Lucas said after swallowing his food. "Why are you bringing this up now? Is Peyton having second thoughts?"

"No, no… I'm just curious, that's all."

"Because I don't want to rush her, if she needs time, then I can wait. It's not too late to cancel things is it?"

"It's never too late to cancel," Brooke said as she pushed the food on her plate around. Finding Luke's eyes on her, she sighed. "What makes you so certain Luke?"

"She's Peyton," he answered.

Brooke looked at him, and found no words to combat that statement. She's sure if she said it, people would understand too. Because there really wasn't any other way to say it, quite simply, she was Peyton and nothing else really mattered when you had her.

"Okay," Brooke said.

"Alright guys, I'm ready," Peyton said, emerging from her room fully dressed, wearing jeans and black t-shirt, her blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail.

Brooke jumped up off the couch and said, "Let's get moving then! Lucas has to get to his final fitting, and we have get to that shop before two."

Peyton groaned, "We're really going to drive for an hour just to buy a cake knife and server?"

"Don't complain," Brooke said as she pushed Peyton out the door, Lucas following right behind them

Brooke dead bolted the door and unlocked her vehicle. Walking briskly she said, "Chop chop, blondies, we really have to get moving."

Lucas and Peyton followed her and sat in the backseat and passenger's seat respectively, they buckled their seatbelts and Brooke pulled out of the driveway.

"Luke, Nate, Skills and Mouth will meet you at the tailor. Nate claims you've agreed to a basketball game? So you'll be leaving with them while Miss Sawyer and I head out for the cake knife and server," Brooke said as they drove along.

"This is starting to feel suspicious," Peyton said as she shared a look with Lucas. He shrugged and Peyton looked at Brooke. "We're not really going to get the cake knife thing are we?"

"Of course we are," Brooke said, rolling her eyes for added effect.

"But why did Luke have to come to the house? Couldn't he have just gone to the shop?" Peyton said as she wracked her mind for any other clues.

"I thought you wanted to have lunch with him, and we've been doing things together all week," Brooke said as she turned down the street where the tailor was located.

Peyton eyed her best friend, but stopped pressing the point.

Brooke stopped and said, "Alright Broody, we'll see you back at the house after your game?"

"Of course," Lucas said as he let himself out of the vehicle. He waved as they pulled away from the curb and back onto the street.

"Spill," Brooke said as soon as he was out of sight.

"Spill about what?" Peyton asked unconvincingly.

"The other guy you were in love with. Is he why you came home? Were you running away from a broken heart? Oh my god, it is! That's why everyone thought you were broken hearted about Lucas!" Brooke exclaimed as all the idea formed in her mind. "All this time there was someone else… And you did even mention him until now!"

"He broke my heart. We broke up and he went to Sundance without me, and hooked up with some starlet. So I knew we were done," Peyton said as she again shifted away from Brooke.

"Do not shut me out now Peyt. Why did you break up?"

"He found a copy of Ravens in my bag."

"And that was it?"

"He said he couldn't love me with the ghost of Lucas lurking, or something like that. But then you and I decided to come home, and now it's all worked out. I'm marrying Lucas and we're going to be happy."

"That's not an entirely convincing argument," Brooke said as she pulled off the road and onto the shoulder. "Peyton, are you honestly over this guy, or are you just running back to Luke for comfort?"

"You know how I feel about Lucas," Peyton said as she tugged at the seatbelt running across her chest.

"No, I knew how you felt about Lucas, and I am starting to see that there is a lot more going on with you than you let on," Brooke said, her voice growing softer and more concerned. "You're supposed to share things like this with me, we're supposed to be best friends."

Peyton's eyes turned cold as she glared at Brooke, she opened her mouth but hesitated.

"Peyton, talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Tell me you're completely over the guy from California and you're going to happy with Lucas."

"I'm over him, and I'm going to happy with Lucas," Peyton parroted.

"God Peyt, that is so not convincing. I wish you had talked about this sooner."

"I didn't say anything because I thought I was over him. And I thought I would be happy with Luke."

"You thought? What's suddenly changed that you no longer think that you're over him and can be happy with Lucas."

"Nothing?"

Brooke gave her a stern look. "Now is not the time to play games."

"I don't know Brooke, I woke up this morning and realized that I was going to be committing myself to Lucas, for the rest of our lives, in two days. It's been this thing that will happen someday. But when that someday is less than forty-eight hours away, it changes things. I guess I'm scared. What if it's not meant to be Lucas and me? He almost married Lindsay, if she had said yes they would've been married now and there wouldn't have been wedding for me. And there were times after we got back where I kind of thought that the two of you were reconnecting."

"So, ignoring that comment about me, because, really, the Luke and I ship sailed a long time ago, you honestly believe that Lucas isn't ready to marry you, despite the fact that the reason his previous wedding was called off was because he was still so obviously in love with you that his bride couldn't bring herself to say yes."

"I don't think either of us is ready to commit to each other. Weeks between weddings doesn't exactly send the best message, does it?"

"It might seem a little desperate to anyone who doesn't know the epic love story," Brooke conceded. "But everyone knows the story because everyone read the book. You've read the book, and you're still reading the book. I think you are scared, and I think you have every right to feel scared, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't love you and you don't love him. I think what you're feeling is normal."

"Really?" Peyton asked, voice tiny and hopeful.

"Really. If you still want to cancel, we can call it off right now, and it will be fine. Lucas even said he didn't want to rush you, if you need more time, he can wait."

"He said that?"

"He did, and I know he meant it."

Peyton sat back thoughtfully, after several minutes she said, "You're right. I'm nervous, and when I'm nervous I have the urge to run. So let's go get that server and cake knife, I'm getting married in two days!"

Brooke released a huge sigh of relief. "Peyton Sawyer you're my best friend, and I love you, but sometimes you are kind of crazy."

Peyton smiled at this and said, "But it's why you love me."

Brooke laughed and then said, "If that's what you want to believe."

"Ha ha," Peyton said sarcastically.

Brooke pulled back onto the road and they travelled the rest of the way chatting about less serious things. Their destination was a shop where Brooke had called earlier in the day to insure the special cake knife and server she had found were ready for pick up. Brooke was insistent that the wedding required this special touch. Another in a long list she'd added to the wedding, despite Peyton's protests over costs and extravagance. Brooke had held her ground on this set though and when the saleswoman finally brought it out for them to inspect Peyton finally understood why.

"How did you find this Brooke?" Peyton asked as she looked at the set before her.

"I called a few places," Brooke said with a shrug.

"This was my great-grandmother's," Peyton said quietly as she picked up the server and turned it over in her hands, the weight familiar despite all the years since she'd last seen it.

"I remember," Brooke said.

"But it was sold after my mom died," Peyton said, her emotions getting the better of her. She remembered Anna serving her birthday cake with the special pieces and telling her about how it had been used in all of the weddings and special occasions since her great grandmother's, and how maybe someday Peyton would use it at her own wedding. Her father had sold it to make ends meet before he'd gotten into dredging.

"And I tracked it down, because it was special to you," Brooke said.

The saleswoman who had brought the pieces out glanced between the two women at a loss of words. Brooke handed the woman her credit card. The woman left without speaking, obviously grateful to have an out.

"Thank you Brooke," Peyton said as she hugged her best friend. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you."

Brooke hugged her back and said, "You're welcome."

The woman returned and boxed the set up and then placed the box in a bag. Brooke signed the receipt and accepted the bag and the best friends left the shop. Peyton was silent and reflective once more, and Brooke did not press the issue. Instead she turned up the radio.

However, as they approached Tree Hill once again, Brooke seemed to have grown tired of Peyton's quietness. She turned down the radio and did not mince word as she asked, "So you're absolutely sure right?"

"Right," Peyton said with more confidence than any of her earlier statements.

Brooke glanced at her best friend. She must have approved of her expression, because she then said, "Good, because we're headed to your bachelorette party, and I did not skimp on the 'entertainment' so if you're going to run off with the first hot guy you see, we'd have a huge problem."

Peyton's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide before she slapped Brooke's arm and said, "You did not just say that to me."

"But I did," Brooke said cheekily.

"Brooke Davis!"

"Peyton Sawyer!"

Peyton rolled her eyes and turned away, mumbling about the nerve of her best friend.

Brooke laughed and said, "I invited Haley, Mia, Milli, and Bevin. I didn't know who else to invite because, a, you don't have very many female friends here in Tree Hill, and b, you don't have that many female friends in general."

"Thanks Brooke," Peyton said. Her best friend had put quite a bit of effort into this celebration and she was beyond grateful. She added, "For everything."

"While I appreciate your appreciation, don't mention it. You are my sister, and we've been through too much for it to be any other way," Brooke said as they approached a hotel near the riverfront. "Now let's join the others."

Brooke parked the car and the girls walked toward the lobby of the hotel. Brooke glanced at Peyton several times during the short walk, obviously still concerned about the fears Peyton had expressed during their car ride.

Just before they reached the doors, Brooke put her hand on Peyton's arm and said, "Peyton, I've known you for most of my life. And I want you to be happy, and I believe you when you say you think you'll be happy with Lucas."

"Then stop worrying," Peyton said as she put her hands on Brooke's shoulders. "I will put a stop to this if anything changes. I'm not trying to sabotage my own happiness Brooke."

Brooke's expression visibly lightened and she said, "Alright."

They entered the lobby, and glanced around. Their friends were nowhere to be seen. The lobby was empty, save for the staff at the desk.

"They might still be in the room. Let me call Haley," Brooke said as she walked back outside to place the call.

Peyton sat down in one of the plush chairs arranged casually near the front desk, in the chair facing away from the staff. She'd often wondered why hotels had these, but realized now how convenient it was to wait for someone there. She reached for her phone, but realized she had left it at home.

She sighed as she drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. She sensed there was a problem with Brooke's plan or Brooke would have returned by now. The door opened, but it was not Brooke who entered. Peyton froze.

He did not see her, and had made a beeline for the front desk appearing to be in a rush. Peyton's heart thudded heavily in her chest as she willed herself to become invisible and scrunched down in the chair. She heard him speaking to the staff but could not understand anything, her mind was racing with thoughts of how to escape and what on earth was he doing here.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone touched her arm. Brooke was looking down at her, eyebrows raised higher than any time before and a concerned look splayed across her features. Peyton focused intently on her best friend's lips as she spoke.

"Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost, which is funny because our plans include going on the ghost tour later," Brooke said.

Peyton nodded, and then peered around the chair, noting he had disappeared somewhere during her panic attack. "I'm fine. And the ghost tour sounds like fun. Where are the others?"

Brooke rolled her eyes and said, "They got a flat tire and the guys are changing it out for them. So they're delayed a little while. Do you want to wait in the suite? I think our plans are delayed by an hour."

Peyton again nodded, and said, "That sounds great."

Brooke extended her hand to Peyton and pulled her up off the chair. They approached the elevator bay and hit the 'up' button. Despite the relative quietness of the lobby, it seemed all four of their elevators were in use.

"You're going to love tonight," Brooke said as they waited.

"Should I change? I mean jeans and a t-shirt seems a little too dressed down for a Brooke Davis event," Peyton said.

Brooke smiled and said, "But this isn't about Brooke Davis, it's about Peyton Sawyer. So you can wear whatever you want."

An elevator arrived and out came a cleaning woman and her cart of cleaning supplies. Peyton then reasoned that other cleaning people were probably using the elevators for the exact same reason and thus the business of the elevators.

Unexpectedly, another person exited the elevator, just as Peyton stepped to enter. They collided and Peyton immediately began to apologize. As she looked up, she stopped. Of course it would be him, given her luck. She stumbled back and Brooke's expression went concerned again.

"I'm sorry," he said as he too stepped back, but then walked out of the elevator before the doors closed.

Peyton nodded but did not speak and was again struck with the desire to fade into nothingness.

Brooke looked between them and asked, "What am I missing here?"

He also looked confused and concerned, but did not speak.

Peyton finally compelled herself into action. She cleared her throat and said, "Brooke this is, uh, Julian Baker. He's the one with who made that movie, the one that did so well at Sundance. And Julian this is my best friend Brooke Davis, of Clothes Over Bros."

Brooke's expression went from concern to surprise and then confused anger. She turned on him and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

"Brooke," Peyton tried to stop her friend from terrorizing her ex-boyfriend.

"I have a meeting with a production company here in town," he said, looking at Peyton as he spoke.

"And it just so happened to coincide with Peyton's wedding date?" Brooke asked, now worked up.

"Wedding?" Julian asked, his expression giving away just how much of a surprise it was to him.

"Oh," Brooke said quietly, anger disappearing. They stood together in tense silence, no one making any move as they tried to gauge what the protocol is for such an awkward run in.

Another elevator opened and a family gave them odd looks at the parents shepherded their children away.

Julian then cleared his throat and hardened his expression and began to tentatively back away from them. He said, "It was nice to finally meet you Brooke, I heard so many good things. And it was wonderful to see you again Peyton. But I have to get to this meeting."

"Yeah," Peyton said. Unsure of herself she added, "It was, nice, to see you too."

"Right, nice," Brooke said as he walked around the corner and out of their line of sight.

Another elevator arrived and a couple walked out. This time Brooke held the elevator and Peyton followed her on.

"That happened right?" Peyton asked as they rode up. "I'm not just living out my worst fears in my mind. My ex-boyfriend was in the lobby?"

"It happened," Brooke assured her. Adding quietly, "Of all the gin joints."

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading. This is far from over, and there's more to come. Please read and review.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or anything else you might recognize.**

AN: Apologies for the long hiatus, I've just been a little too busy with everything else in life. For the Guest who has been reviewing my OTH stories lately. Thank you for inspiring me to continue. Also sorry if this looks weird, I'm not sure what's up with the formatting.

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><p>The elevator doors open and Peyton reflexively follows Brooke down the hall and stops when Brooke stops to open the door. But Brooke has to take Peyton by the hand and lead her into the room when she doesn't follow her inside. Peyton sits down on the closest chair and is quiet. Brooke leaves her to her thoughts and explores the suite. She opens the doors to the rooms, insuring that everything she asked for is available. She notes that the bags she had sent over were already in place. She picks the room with the king bed for herself and Peyton.<p>

After deciding she is satisfied with everything she opens Peyton's bag and searches for the shirt she had packed for her for tonight. She finds it and walks back into the main room, where she finds Peyton exactly as she had been ten minutes before. She sits beside her best friend, lays her hand on her forearm and says, "Tell me what you're thinking."

Peyton blinks a few times as though she hadn't quite realized she was in a near catatonic state, then looks at Brooke's hand. Her eyes trail from Brooke's hand, up her arm, and finally, to her face. She makes eye contact with Brooke and says, "Cosmic interference?"

It is Brooke's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"What are the chances that he would be here, hours before my wedding? Is it a sign that I shouldn't go through with it? Is he a test of how much I love Lucas? Is there an actual meaning to him being here, or is it just dumb luck?" Peyton rambles as she gestures a little wildly with her free hand.

Brooke draws in a steadying breath before taking on the barrage of questions her best friend just unleashed. "Calm down Peyton. You don't need to be worrying about any of that. He's here for a meeting, and it just so happens that your wedding is happening on the same weekend he decided to come. We can say it's cosmic, or we can call it dumb luck. Whatever will make it make sense for you."

It was time for Peyton to take in a deep breath. She finally takes her eyes off Brooke's and then gives her a weak smile. "Thanks Brooke, you're amazing."

"We're amazing, both of us," Brooke says with a smirk. "So can we chalk this up to dumb luck?"

"Dumb luck…" Peyton says quietly, considering the possibility. She sighs and says, "I'd love to think it was just dumb luck but some part of me feels like it something more, like it was fated to happen."

"Kind of like a test of your commitment to Luke?"

"I don't know, I guess so. I mean we just had that talk about him this morning, and then we run into him this afternoon? I don't know it feels like it has to mean something."

"I get it, and remember that I am always going to support you."

"You are a better friend than I ever could have hoped for."

The sound of the others arriving is heard through the door, and Brooke says, "Let's table this for now and go on with this bachelorette party because whether you get married or not, I think you deserve this party."

Peyton smiles at her best friend and then says, "Fine, but only because I need some time to process this and because I'm curious about this entertainment you've hired."

Brooke smiles back and then the door opens to reveal none other than Haley James Scott.

"I am so sorry we're late," Haley says as she leads the others in. "I've never had any trouble with my vehicle, but today of all days it happened."

"It's fine," Brooke says as she stands. She drops the shirt in Peyton's lap and says, "Put this on and wear the shoes on the bed."

"Yes Mistress," Peyton says as she too stands up. She waves at the others and says, "I'm glad you managed to get her safely, late or not."

Peyton leaves them and shuts the door behind her. She can still hear the other girls settling into the other room, with its two queen size beds, and everyone talking all at once. They all seem quite giddy.

Peyton changes her shirt and sits down to change her shoes. She happens to catch her reflection and pauses, the sense of déjà vu overcomes her quickly.

In her time spent with Julian she had spent many an evening in hotel rooms and had dressed up for many events related to his work. He could always be counted on to have something complimentary to say about her outfit, and somehow that meant they always ended up back in bed and several minutes late. And there were always I love you's exchanged. She has tried very hard to box all those memories up and focus on the good things she has with Lucas. But fate was being such a bitch right now.

"Peyton are you ready?" Brooke asks as she knocks on the door and startles Peyton from her thoughts.

Peyton stands, walks to the door, and opens it, hoping her expression shows more excitement than she actually felt. She takes a step back and poses as she asks, "I don't know, am I?"

Brooke give her a mischievous smile and says, "You're missing something… but that'll come later. Come on we have a reservation!"

They all shuffle out of the room and head for the elevators, which are conveniently less busy at this point. There is a steady stream of chatter as they walk down the street to Tree Hill's best (and only) steakhouse. Despite the fact that it has no competition, it really is a great place to eat.

They are of course seated immediately, Brooke Davis has planned the night so there are no hitches. Brooke orders wine for the table and they order their food.

"I think you and Lucas will be regulars here," Mia teases as she hands the menu back to their waiter.

"Definitely," Haley and Brooke chime in together. They all share a look and laughed.

"Ha ha guys, very funny," Peyton says as she rolls her eyes.

"I don't get it," Bevin says, causing more laughter.

"You've obviously never had Peyton cook for you," Mia says.

"When we first went to California, we were supposed to take turns getting dinner ready, but I took over after a few of Peyton's meals," Brooke says. "One night she tried to make chicken, I don't know how she did it but the outside was drier than sand and the inside was still pink and chewy."

"She tried to make me pork chops after a late night at the studio, but somehow they ended up burnt, along with the potatoes she was boiling to mash," Mia offers as her own Peyton cooking horror story.

"When we were in college, she came to visit and she surprised us by making dinner while we were out. The soup turned out more like glue and we all decided that pizza would be better," Haley says, her sentences punctuated with attempts to keep from bursting into laughter.

There are more giggles and stories shared about Peyton's lack of skill in the kitchen, and a few other general stories, all of them born by Peyton good-naturedly.

As wine flows and their dinners arrive, promises of cooking lessons and personal coaching are made. When they finish eating, Brooke discreetly pays the bill and ushers them further down the street to the rendezvous point for their ghost tour.

"As some of you may or may not know, my best friend, Peyton Elizabeth Scott, is a huge believer in ghosts. She likes to think that there are both friendly and not so friendly ghosts and spent a great deal of our childhood reading books and watching those ridiculous tv shows. So tonight, I hope we can all enjoy her hidden hobby and maybe even become believers."

The host greets them and says, "Good evening ladies, my name is Michael and I'll be leading your tour this evening. I'm glad we can take you out tonight. I'd like to echo your friend's sentiment about all of you enjoying your night, and also hope the guest of honor's will enjoy herself."

They are taken to various locations and given the histories of the sites and the supernatural encounters previously experienced by others. Brooke notes that Peyton was enraptured by the stories and knew that she had made a good choice. The other girls seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.

Haley's phone rings just as Michael finishes telling a particularly harrowing tale, causing all of them to jump.

"Sorry!" Haley says as she realizes it's her phone and looks at her screen. "It's the house phone, it's probably Jamie. I need to take this."

They all nod, and it's explained to Michael that Jamie is her son. Michael takes questions until Haley was ready to move forward.

The tour comes to an end and they take pictures with Michael in various groupings, and finally all together.

Brooke then leads them down the street to a small establishment that often hosted shows and other artistic events. As soon as they enter they are shown to a smaller room, below the main level. This basement room had obviously been rented by Brooke. There was a small bar in the corner and there was enough room for at the very least thirty people but their small group had been catered to, there were comfortable chairs facing toward the small stage that had been set up.

Peyton had told Brooke that she loved the acoustics of this particular venue. She had even mentioned that despite the basement's smallness it was the perfect place for an intimate show and she often visited to see local and touring talent.

"Let's get drinks and get comfortable," Brooke says as she walks toward the small bar.

As their drinks are being made, Haley asks, "So just where did you get the entertainment for tonight?"

"I made quite a few calls, and even called in a few favors, he's not local," Brooke says, her voice tinged with excitement and pride.

"What did you do Brooke?" Peyton asks as she sees a man walk down the stairs, carrying a small boombox, a large black case, and wearing dark clothes, with aviators and a baseball cap.

"Enjoy it," Brooke says with the biggest smile Peyton had ever seen.

"Which one of you is Peyton Sawyer?" the man asks.

All present point at Peyton, while Peyton gingerly raises her hand.

"Well you are one lucky lady," the man says as he sets his boombox and case on stage and then turned around. He removes his hat and saunters toward Peyton. "You're in for a great show."

Peyton blushes furiously and looks at Brooke with wide eyes.

The man walks back toward the stage. He turns away from them and removes his sunglasses and drops his hoodie. He then opens the large black case, picks up the beautiful guitar inside of it, and then turns to face them.

Peyton gasps and then turns to Brooke and says, "No, no, no, no, no. This is not real!"

Brooke smiles and says, "But it is."

Peyton looks back up at the stage with her mouth still open. He strums to check the tuning and says, "I haven't played for a crowd of strangers this small in a very long time. I'm a little nervous."

"Who is that?" Bevin asks Haley quietly, as the man begins to play.

"Chris something, he's in that band that Peyton loved in high school. The first two albums were completely acoustic, just him and his guitar. I can't remember the band name right now," Haley whispered back, her eyes never leaving the handsome man singing before them.

"He's hot," Bevin says, effectively ending their conversation.

He sings all of Peyton's favorite songs and chats with them while he tunes between songs. He teases her for liking all of his incredibly depressing songs. This earns him a laugh from all of those seated before him.

Peyton sighs as she links her arm with Brooke's. They've all just returned from the venue and while the other went upstairs to get ready for bed, Peyton and Brooke are heading for the pool.

They arrive and sit in the chairs, despite their busy evening, it's only ten o clock. The pool is not yet closed, but there is no one swimming. It's quiet and peaceful.

"Thank you Brooke," Peyton says as she looks right at her best friend.

"I already told you, whatever happens, you deserved a night like this," Brooke says.

"I can't believe that you got him here."

"Nothing less for my best friend."

"I don't know what else to say, you really know me and I loved tonight."

"Pay me back with some gossip."

"Anything you want to know."

"If Julian walked up to you right now and asked you to run away with him, would you?"

"How is this gossip?"

"Answer the question."

Peyton's quiet moment was enough for Brooke to get the picture.

"So you would."

"It would seem so," Peyton says as she removes her shoes and pulls her knees to her chest.

"It was that serious."

"We were living together, and he just made me so happy. I kind of forgot that there was that kind of happiness out there before I met him."

"I see," Brooke says as she struggles to find words to help her best friend.

"It's always been like this with him. The day I met him, it was just a random run in and despite the fact that I'd just been left in a hotel room with a CD I'd made to tell Lucas just how much I loved him, he made me laugh. He made me remember that there was always something to smile about."

"And you two starting dating then?"

"No, that was just the first time I met him."

"I'm going to assume that there were more run in's."

"The next one was after I'd seen Luke with Lindsey at his book signing in LA. I thought he had called to maybe patch things up and when I got there, they were obviously together so I left, and of course I was crying when I ran into him again. He took me to his fundraising party and made me laugh. I don't know how else to describe it. He made me laugh and smile and just be happy despite all of the sad things that have happened in my life."

"He sounds like a very good man."

"He is," Peyton says as she lays her cheek on her knee. She adds, "Seeing him just makes me feel so weird. I never expected to run into him here, or to see him again if I am going to be totally honest."

"I can tell. I don't think I've ever seen you look as surprised as today when you ran into him. Also, who does that? Physically runs into a person, let alone their ex-boyfriend."

"I don't know, maybe it's the universe telling me I need to face my past before I ride off into the sunset with Luke."

"So you're still planning on marrying Luke, then?"

"Of course, it's not like I stopped caring about Luke just because I saw Julian."

"Caring? This seems like a downgrade from loving."

"Brooke!"

"What? It's a legitimate concern."

Peyton glared at Brooke, but did not bend to her will.

Brooke sighs and says, "Fine. Whatever. But like I've been saying all along, I will support you no matter what you decide to do. If you want to call it all off, that's fine with me."

They leave just as a hotel employee is coming to lock up for the night. Apparently they close the pool at 10:30 if there's no one in it.

Brooke makes a big show of checking the elevator before they get in and tells Peyton that it's clear, none of her other ex boyfriends are there. Peyton laughs and they're both giggling about how ridiculous that would be as they get back to the suite.

They're surprised to see that Haley has set up a video presentation. Well Peyton is surprised, and Brooke seems to have been in on it, since she helped prepare the video.

It starts with the first picture of Peyton, which was taken just after she was born. She's in Larry's arms and already Peyton wants to cry. There are pictures of her as she's growing up, and with her mother, and even a few videos taken of her and Brooke and her and Nate. And it's really the highlights of her life put together in a nice little package. High school is well represented, plenty of pictures of her and Brooke, and Lucas.

The big surprise is the video of her and Larry, in LA. She's showing him around her office and then around town. But that's not why it's surprising, it's surprising because she knows it's Julian behind the camera. The show ends with a picture of her and Luke and Peyton smiles.

"That was great, I can't believe you got all of those together," Peyton says.

"Your dad was a lot of help, and of course Brooke already knew what she wanted," Haley says. "She plans to play it on the screen behind you at the reception. And she also had me do one for Luke."

"Really, Brooke?" Peyton says as she looks to her best friend for confirmation.

"I am excited, I couldn't help myself, and Haley really wanted to help," Brooke says, in attempt to defend herself.

"It's great, really. I forgot about some of those pictures," Peyton says as she gets up.

"We should really go to bed, we have rehearsal tomorrow," Brooke says. And with that their night comes to an end as they all head for their beds.

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading. As I said previously, this is far from over, and there's more to come. Please read and review.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or anything else you might recognize.**

**AN: See didn't take me nearly as long to update this time.**

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><p>Peyton slips out of the room the next morning while the others are still asleep. She's been intent on getting some waffles from the hotel restaurant. She knows the waffles, she stayed here a few times when she was younger, when the house was fumigated and again when the pipes burst. It became a thing, with her dad, especially after her mom passed away.<p>

She smiles as she thinks of the previous night. Her best friend knew her well, and the whole evening just proved that point. No one would ever doubt that Brooke Davis loved Peyton Sawyer. The thought that someday she would have to the opportunity to do the same for Brooke was a happy one, if not a little intimidating. She decides to start writing ideas down, and once the elevator brings her to the lobby, she asks for a pen and paper at the front desk.

She then heads for the restaurant, and is a little startled to see Julian. She remembers that he liked to have breakfast to start his day. A real breakfast, with bacon and eggs and hashbrowns and toast. And waffles, fluffy, delicious waffles that he made every Sunday without fail.

He looks a little disheveled but she can't blame him. She probably doesn't look like much either, at six thirty in the morning. She slows her gait as she approaches his table, she's not completely positive that he wants anything to do with her. He did leave her in their apartment and never contacted her again. But they're here now and maybe that should be the point, not the past and not the what if's, but this moment.

"Hey," she says, quieter and more shy that she would have liked to have sounded.

He looks up from the paperwork he was reviewing and seems surprised. He echos, "Hey."

She smiles and says, "Early start?"

"Yeah, I have to drive out to what looks like the middle of nowhere to meet this guy today," Julian says as he shuffles around for something. He stops, then looks up at her again, "You want to join me? Or is that against the rules?"

Peyton rolls her eyes, and says, "You're ridiculous, and I don't know about the rules, but yes, I'd like to join you."

She sits down and watches as he moves his papers to the side, organizing them into three piles.

A waiter comes by and Peyton orders the waffles she'd been thinking about since she arrived with Brooke the day before. He orders the breakfast she remembered him loving, with a glass of orange juice, because he still doesn't drink coffee. The waiter leaves them and Julian is still minding his own business so she decides to just jump right in. "I'm sorry about Brooke yesterday."

"Oh you mean when she nearly took me out a second after she realized who I was?" Julian asks.

"Yeah, that."

"It's fine, really. My feelings weren't hurt or anything."

"She just gets a little protective. She doesn't like it when a person she cares about gets hurt. She's always been that way. She almost got into a fight with a girl who was two years older than us one year during summer camp because she called me something ridiculous. We were seven, so it's been going on awhile."

"A good trait for a best friend."

"Yeah but, don't get me wrong, it goes both ways," she pauses here as he looks as though he's going to make a comment about the both ways thing, but she gives him a preemptive glare and he just smirks. She continues, "I have her back and she has mine. It's something I missed we were were opposites sides of the country."

The arrival of their breakfast distracts him from making any further comments.

She asks about his father and he asks about hers and they make light conversation, like any old friends would do.

As she's cutting into the second half of her waffles, he asks, "What did you tell her?"

Peyton looks up at him and says, "What?"

"Brooke, what did you say to her? Did you tell her I was an asshole to you? or something like that?"

Peyton starts, "No, I didn't say much."

"Well I'm curious why she was ready to throw down in a hotel lobby, despite the fact that she's the head of a huge corporation. Why risk the bad press?"

Peyton stops cutting and looks at him with disbelief, "Seriously? You can't think of any reasons why she might feel that way?"

"I don't see what the issue is. We broke up, we haven't seen each other," Julian says with a shrug.

"Don't be obtuse! You left me in our apartment. You never came back, you sent Steve to get your stuff, and he picked it up while I was at work. And of course, you slept with Naomi at Sundance, literally hours after you left me."

He opens his mouth, but he stops and says, "Right, Naomi."

"Did you forget about her?"

"Does it really matter now? I mean, apparently, you're getting married this weekend."

"I guess not, but Naomi was a pretty good reason for Brooke to be ready to throw down with you, don't you think?"

"I can see how that would piss her off, yeah," Julian says. Then he smiles at her, "So tell me about this wedding. I'm going to guess that since you're here that the groom is none other that Lucas Scott."

"You would be correct."

"I'm a little surprised because I heard some gossip last night that this is his second wedding this year, which can't be true, not if this is the Lucas from Ravens."

She feels a little squeamish. It's kind of weird to actually be sitting here with Julian and talking about Lucas. She wants to tell him about how much he hurt her when he left, but it feels like he just admitted he read Ravens and that's an accomplishment in and of itself. So that's what she goes with, "You read Ravens?"

"I did, believe it or not."

"And what did you think?"

"That maybe if I finally gained some insight into why you carried it with you."

"Oh."

"Not what you were expecting?"

"I thought you would've had some reasons why it sucked. Or had a few more accusations."

"You, of all people, should know that I put personal feels aside when analyzing someone's work."

"This is true."

"So why would this be any different."

"Because you didn't read it until after I left, and you blamed that book for me not loving you."

"I was angry. And I would give anything to be able to take that back. I was just, young and stupid I guess."

"And now?"

"And now," Julian says. He pauses, and Peyton watches him intently. He clears his throat and says, "And now, I'm sorry."

"Oh," Peyton says. She looks away because that was a lot of honesty and truthfulness in a few words. It makes her feel funny and not in the way that talking about Lucas had.

"Yeah."

The waiter brings them the tab, and Julian picks it up before Peyton has a chance to even look at it.

Peyton reaches for her credit card in her pocket and says, "I can pay for my own food."

"I insist," Julian says as he hands the waiter the ticket with his credit card. He gives her a pointed look and says, "It's the very least I could do."

"Okay," she agrees. There's a lot of meaning in that statement, and it really doesn't have anything to do with breakfast. She didn't really know what to expect when she decided to join him. All she knew was that he was there and it would have beyond awkward if she didn't at least make the gesture to sit with him. She didn't really expect him to say okay, or to actually share an entire meal together.

When the waiter comes back, he gets more juice and she has more coffee. It's after their drinks have been refilled and first sips have been taken when he says it.

"I didn't sleep with Naomi, or anyone else for that matter."

"At Sundance?" Peyton asks.

"At any point in time," he says. He looks at her, and then looks down and finally adds, "I haven't, with anyone, not since, you know."

She stares at him, at a complete loss for words. Her ex boyfriend just admitted that he hadn't slept with anyone since they broke up. It's a more than a little too much to process.

"I'm not telling you to try to sabotage your wedding plans or anything, I just wanted to let you know that the story about Naomi wasn't true. My agent was just trying to help me, and for some reason she thought that story would be good for my image."

"Oh."

"I didn't think it mattered at the time, but I see now that it must have really hurt you," Julian says. "And despite what I just said, I think I knew that. I think I might have been trying to win the break up or whatever."

Peyton recovers her senses enough to nod. Then she says, "It's fine. It's been months, right?"

"Right," Julian says. He looks at her and gives her a little smile. Then he starts to gather his things.

Peyton is not sure that she wants their little breakfast meeting to end already. If she's honest, she has always wished they'd had one last civil conversation. She scrambles for something else to talk about and comes up with, "So what's this company your meeting with?"

"Oh you know, just someone who saw my movie and was interested in bringing me on for a project," Julian says in his usual way, humble and collected.

She smiles, it's just so familiar and something that she's missed.

He seems to realize that it could mean something more, and adds, "I didn't realize the company was based here, I probably wouldn't have come had I realized sooner that I was headed for Tree Hill."

"Don't say that," Peyton says as she gets serious. "I'm glad you're here, I'm glad we ran into each other."

"It's not weird?"

"It's been weird not being able to talk to you," Peyton admits. "You might not have a realized it, but you came into my life when I disconnected with everyone here and was struggling quite a bit. You made my life so much better, not that I expected, or wanted, you to, it just sort of happens when I'm around you."

Julian gives her a small smirk and is about to reply when they're interrupted.

"I should've known the two of you would be together. Everyone is talking about the cute couple having breakfast, and here you are."

"Brooke..." Peyton says quietly, trying to warn her best friend to back off.

"Peyton the girls are going to be here any minute," Brooke says as she ignores the warning, and Julian.

Julian smiles then shakes his head. He says, "That's probably my cue to leave. I've got that meeting to get to anyway. Have fun today."

The girls pass Julian as he leaves, but none of them pay attention to him. Instead they crowd around a larger round table and Peyton joins them.

They're discussing the beds and how comfortable they were and how rested they felt.

Peyton drinks her coffee and makes appropriate comments, but she is blind to the concerned glances everyone shared at her obvious disconnect. Brooke kicks her under the table when she completely spaces off after they get to talking about mud treatments.

Luckily, the conversation has shifted to something that has potential to keep Peyton's interest.

"That ghost tour kept me up last night," Mia admits as she drizzles syrup over her pancakes.

"Me too," Bevin agrees. "I kept thinking about the last house we went to. I used to drive past there everyday and not think anything about it. Now I know that people have seen ghosts there, makes me want to change my route."

"At least you just drove by, the first place we saw is literally next door to where I'm staying," Mia says.

"That probably means there are ghosts at your place too, or that they could walk over and visit your place," Milli says.

"Thanks, that will really help," Mia says sarcastically.

"Oh I doubt they'll bother you if you haven't seen them already," Peyton says.

"And you're an expert on these things?" Mia asks.

"I am. Brooke had a ghost, ask her," Peyton says.

The attention shifts to Brooke who oddly enough seems to be lost in her own contemplative state.

It's Peyton's turn to kick her best friend, and when Brooke realizes they're all looking at her, she asks, "What?"

"I was just telling them that you had a ghost."

"Yeah, I did, but Peyton did some research and helped me get rid of it," Brooke says.

All eyes turn back to Peyton, who is looking a little proud.

"How'd you do it?" Haley asks.

"It's complicated, but I guess you could say that I just gave it what it wanted," Peyton says.

"And it never bothered me again," Brooke says.

"Wow," Mia says as she looks at Peyton. "You are just the weirdest person ever."

At this, the table burst into laughter and conversation broke off into smaller conversations between Milli and Mia, and Haley and Bevin, of course Leaving Brooke and Peyton to talk.

"How was breakfast?" Brooke asks.

"Good," Peyton says.

"You looked pretty... comfortable," Brooke says, trying to keep the conversation from interesting the others.

"It was fine, you know how I love the waffles here," Peytons says.

Brooke glares at her and says, "You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"I really think there's a better time and place for this conversation," Peyton says quietly.

Brooke sighs and says, "Fine."

"What are you two talk about? Looks pretty intense," Mia says as she looks between Brooke and Peyton.

Peyton looks at Brooke, then at Mia and says, "Brooke thinks that something came up that could cause problems with the wedding, I'm trying to convince her that it's no big deal. Nothing to worry about ladies."

Again the table looks suspicious, but the smile Peyton's giving them and Brooke's glare lets them know that they shouldn't really press the subject further.

They finish breakfast sharing more stories about Peyton, in the more recent weeks, and then head back upstairs to pack their things. Before heading for the spa across town.

Peyton manages to avoid Brooke for most of the morning, and it's not until they arrive back at Brooke's later in the afternoon and Haley leaves them that they are alone again.

Peyton had gone to her room to check her cellphone and to pack a few more things when Brooke cornered her.

"Let's talk about Julian Baker," she says as she stands in the doorway.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading. There's obviously still more to come.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or anything else you might recognize.**

**AN: Thank you for your reviews, you sure know how to make me smile. **

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><p>Peyton doesn't flinch, it takes some serious concentration, but she doesn't flinch. Instead, she looks at her best friend and says with careful evenness, "I thought we already talked about him."<p>

"That was before I saw you two together," Brooke says, as she crosses her arms.

"That shouldn't change anything, I'm still getting married to Lucas tomorrow," Peyton says, as she walks into her bedroom and starts putting things into a box. She tells herself that she is not running away from Brooke, she just has a lot of packing to do still, so it's a completely legitimate reason to leave.

"I don't know Peyt, I've seen you with lots of guys," Brooke says as she follows Peyton into her room. She stops and says, "Not that you're a slut or anything, I just mean I know you and I've never seen you like I've seen you with him."

"What?" Peyton says as she looks at Brooke and tries to understand what she means.

"You're going to think I'm crazy, but," Brooke pauses. She exhales and says, "I watched you for about ten minutes, before I interrupted your conversation this morning."

"You what?" Peyton asks as her eyebrows rise.

"I think the fact that you didn't notice me says a lot. It was like the two of you existed in your own little world, and you were so serene, and happy."

"We weren't having the happiest of conversations," Peyton says.

"It didn't matter, you were just aglow with happiness or something," Brooke says and trails off. She adds, "I told you you'd think I was crazy."

"I don't know what to tell you B."

Brooke looks at Peyton and then jumps as there is a knock at the door. Peyton walks by Brooke and out to the entry to answer the door.

She opens the door and immediately smiles. She throws the door wide open and wraps her arms around him and says, "Dad!"

Larry Sawyer hugs his daughter and then Brooke, who has made her way over.

"How are my girls?" he asks as he looks between them. He must notice that something is off because he looks more concerned.

"We're fine," Peyton says as she catches on to his concern. She nudges Brooke and says, "We're fine, aren't we Brooke."

Brooke gives a small smile and says, "Yeah, fine."

Larry looks at them and then says, "Well, alright then. Let me bring my stuff in and we'll head to the diner."

"You need any help?" Peyton asks as Larry heads toward his car.

"I've got it, didn't bring much," Larry says, his voice raised to cover the distance between them.

Brooke takes advantage Larry's temporary absence and says, "We're not done talking about Julian."

"Didn't think we were," Peyton says as she rolls her eyes. She smiles again as she she's her father came back around the corner.

Larry returns and pauses as though he's considering saying something, but Brooke beats him to it. She says, "Let me show you your room."

She takes him by the arm and leads him upstairs. She gestures to Peyton that she's got her eyes on her before she disappears upstairs. Peyton debates following them, but the point is rendered moot when another knock takes her by surprise. She really isn't expecting anyone else right now. Everyone knew her father was arriving and that they had plans for part of the afternoon.

She opens the door and is too stunned to say anything.

She is quickly enveloped in a hug and it's not until she's released from said hug that she speaks.

"I thought you weren't going to be here until tomorrow."

"I caught an earlier flight," Derek says.

Peyton stares at him for a moment longer, then says, "It's so good to see you. Please, come in, come in."

"Where's the lady of the house," Derek asks as he steps inside.

Peyton's written to her brother quite often since they've gotten to know each other better. He had visited her in LA a few times, as he had transferred to the California base to train Marines.

"She's upstairs with my dad, he just got here, literally minutes before you," Peyton says.

"Oh, well maybe I'll come back later then," Derek says and already moves toward the door. He stops when he sees Larry coming down the stairs.

Obviously having overheard what Derek said, Larry says, "Don't be ridiculous, son. I'm sure Peyton and Brooke would love for you to join us, I know I would."

"Me too," Peyton agrees.

"The more the merrier," Brooke agrees.

"So where are we going?" Derek asks.

"To the diner to get lunch," Larry says. "Or at least pie."

"You Sawyers and your diners," Derek says.

"Cornerstone of our existence," Peyton says then breaks into a bright smile. An actual smile, not the one she's been putting up to make Brooke forget, or to divert her Dad.

Larry and Brooke laugh.

After Peyton's mother passed away, and Larry went out to sea, Peyton often ordered dinner from local restaurants. And even when her father was home, they often ate at their favorite diner. Peyton was probably more familiar with the cook at the diner than anyone else outside of her friends.

They agree to take Brooke's vehicle and head out. On the way, her dad and Derek share their travel stories. It's easy conversation and Peyton can almost forget that Brooke wants to go into details about Julian. And it looks like Brooke is ready to forget too.

They find a corner booth and sit down. As Derek and Brooke are browsing the menus, Peyton nearly chokes on her water when Julian walks in. She nearly has an aneurysm when her dad says, "Isn't that Sundance?"

And she wants to melt into the chair when Derek calls out, "Hey Julian!"

She can feel Brooke staring at her with an intensity previously unknown as Julian ever so casually makes his way to their table.

"Mr. Sawyer! Derek, wow," Julian says as he shakes their hands. "What are the odds?"

Derek shakes his hand then looks at his sister and says, "Pretty good considering the circumstances. Are you here for the wedding?"

Larry looks between Peyton and Julian, as though he can glean the answer from their body language alone.

"Actually, I'm here meeting with a local production company," Julian says. "I had no idea they were based out of Tree Hill, and definitely didn't know Peyton was getting married."

"I see," Derek says and takes his gaze of Peyton.

"Well sit down boy, I want to hear about what you've been up to," Larry says.

"Dad, he probably has a meeting or something," Peyton says.

"He obviously came here to eat," Larry says. "But I'm not going to force you to sit with us or anything."

Brooke speaks up, "Yeah, sit with us. I feel like this is an opportunity to get to know you better."

Peyton looks up at him and gives him a smile and says, "Well now you can't decline a Brooke Davis invitation."

"Alright, you've convinced me," Julian says and he sits down next to Peyton, as that was the most accessible seat.

Brooke is eyeing Peyton again, and Peyton smiles.

The waitress returns and they all order. Peyton and Larry's orders are practically etched into the wall and the waitress knows them well. The others order with guidance from the Sawyers. The waitress leaves and promises to refill their drinks when she brings Julian's.

"So son, what've you been up to?" Larry asks.

"A little of this and that," Julian answers. "I took a job on a big summer blockbuster type of movie. That was a lot of work, but it helps me round out my resume, and I got to travel a bit. And now I'm here for this meeting."

"If you take the job, will you be working from here?" Brooke asks.

"That would be the plan."

"And you didn't know they'd be based here?" Brooke asks.

Peyton can hear the accusation in her voice. But she hopes that she's the only one who can. Her father and brother seem nonplussed so that's a good sign. She can't bring herself to look at Julian so she's going to guess he's not offended.

He chuckles and says, "No, my friend sent them my name, and I was coming back from a trip to the UK and he said I could take a few days and see their set up."

The waitress returns with the promised drink refills, and Julian's drink.

"So what do you think of their set up?" Larry asks.

"I like it a lot. It seems pretty collaborative and laid back, and I feel like that's an environment I would thrive in."

"And you'd be out of your dad's circle," Derek adds.

"That's true," Julian says. Larry and Peyton nod in agreement.

"Hold on, how do you know about his dad?" Brooke asks, looking at Derek.

"Derek used to visit in LA," Peyton says.

"I got to know Julian there," Derek says. "And Mr. Sawyer."

"Larry son, call me Larry."

"Of course, Larry," Derek corrects.

"So, basically, you're tell me that you all hung out on a regular basis?" Brooke asks.

"I wouldn't say regular," Peyton says, already anticipating Brooke's ire when they were alone.

"We'd have breakfast on some Sundays," Derek says.

"Waffles at Peyton's diner of the week, or if she wanted I would cook," Julian says, all smiles.

"Diner of the week?" Brooke asks, looking at Peyton with a raised brow.

"Peyton would choose different diners to eat at, and we'd all meet if schedules allowed," Larry says.

"I had no idea you had spent so much time in LA Mr. Sawyer," Brooke says.

"I had a contract in the Newport area. I got to see a lot of Peyton and Julian, and Derek," Larry explains.

"Oh," Brooke says.

The moment is tense, but broken with the arrival of their food. Peyton's never been more thankful for waitstaff in her life. Today they seem to know exactly when to arrive, and it's saved her some awkward explanations.

She's about to prepare her burger when she catches a kick in the shin. She looks up and Brooke discreetly gestures towards the bathroom.

"I think I'm going to go wash my hands," Peyton says. Julian immediately stands to let her out.

"I'll join you," Brooke says and Larry stands to let her out as well.

Peyton leads the way and she can hear the anger in Brooke's footsteps. She realizes just how well she knows Brooke. All of these subtle things she has picked up on over the years. They reach the bathroom and Peyton begins washing her hands.

"So what? You move across the country and I don't matter any more?" Brooke whispers as enter the bathroom.

"I'm sorry I didn't know that you wanted to be a part of my life, given that you never returned my phone calls," Peyton replies quickly.

The look of hurt on Brooke's face makes her regret saying it. But it's also a little bit of a relief. She loves Brooke, she'll always love her. But Brooke cut her off when she needed her most, and luckily Julian had been there, and Larry and Derek. Peyton realizes she's tired of walking on eggshells and sidestepping the time they spent apart. It happened and they need to address it.

"I'm sorry Brooke, but you can't demand an explanation for why you weren't there when you didn't make an effort, I can't change the past," Peyton says.

Brooke contemplates the idea and then says, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Great, can we go back to the table now?" Peyton asks.

"Can I say one more thing?" Brooke asks.

Peyton gives her full attention and says, "Anything."

"Do you think the reason you had your minor breakdown the other day is because of Julian?"

"We've covered this," Peyton says as she heads for the door.

Brooke blocks her path and says, "And I believed you. But the more this story unravels the more I realize that he was a huge part of your life and, in the past, you have only hid the things that mattered the most to you."

"So maybe we dated for a few years, and he got to know my dad and brother," Peyton says. "I said yes to Lucas and that's all there is to it."

Peyton bypasses Brooke and heads toward the table where Julian is apparently telling an amusing story. Larry and Derek are both wearing wide grins.

"What's so funny," Brooke asks as she sits down.

Julian looks down and Derek says, "Julian was telling us about the time he and Peyton went on a cruise."

"A boat and the ocean, does not a cruise make," Peyton says with a smirk.

"It wasn't just a boat," Julian says.

"Your "boat guy" had no idea how to operate the boat," Peyton says.

"He was familiar with bigger ships," Julian says.

"That's what he said when we made it back."

"But you have to admit we had fun," Julian says.

Peyton is about to reply when she realizes that her father, brother, and best friend are all watching this in various states of amusement. She says quietly, "We did."

"So where exactly did this cruise go?" Brooke asks.

"Down to my buddy's place in Mexico," Julian says.

"We went scuba diving, and Julian spent the next week looking like he got punched in the both eyes," Peyton says with a giggle.

"What?" Brooke asks.

"He had problems with his mask, so he ended up with raccoon eyes," Peyton says.

"It sucked," Julian says. "But it didn't happen the next time we went."

"It sounds like an adventure," Brooke says.

"Julian grew up in LA and he travelled a lot growing up, so he knows a lot of people. I have to admit we did some interesting things," Peyton says.

"I seem to recall a rock climbing trip," Derek says. "I remember it because Peyton sent an email that said she was going out and if I didn't hear from her she was probably stuck under a boulder somewhere and I need to come save her."

"You did that?" Julian says.

"She sent me something similar," Larry chimes in, he looks very amused.

"Under a boulder?" Brooke asks.

"Julian, for some reason, thought that reading a book about a guy who's arm got stuck and forced himself to amputate his own was good motivation for the trip," Peyton says.

"I admit, I could have given it to you at a different time, but I had just read it and wanted to talk about it," Julian says.

The meal continues in the same vein. Stories are told from the LA era of Peyton's life. Brooke asks questions and gives Peyton and Julian analyzing glaces from time to time.

Julian leaves them, after paying for the meal, for another meeting with one of the partners of the company.

Brooke drives them all back to her place. Larry and Derek head for their rooms to get cleaned up to go to prepare for the rehearsal dinner that's happening later in the evening.

Peyton heads for her room as well, she is not surprised to hear Brooke following her.

"So," Brooke says as she shuts the door behind her.

"So?" Peyton echoes.

"You know I love you," Brooke says.

"I do."

"I'm going to say some things, I don't want you to interrupt, or get feisty, just listen and when I'm done you can react, okay?"

"Okay..."

"I think you're making a mistake marrying Lucas. You're comfortable with him, you're settling because it's easier than facing Julian. But the more I see the two of you together, the more I realize that this wedding might be the biggest mistake you'll ever make. Lucas' mistake was leaving you alone in LA, but I think it was good because you met someone who makes you laugh and took you on adventures and gets along with your dad and your brother and I could go on forever, which I really didn't want to be able to do. I wanted to hate him and have a hundred reasons why you were better off without him, but I don't. Instead I see that the two of you have this really fluid relationship, like it doesn't matter where you left off or how long it's been, because you can just pick back up again. It's something impossibly perfect, and difficult to put into words. And it's nothing like the way things are between you and Lucas. There is no drama, no sadness, and a bond that anyone would be jealous of."

Peyton is staring at Brooke, slack jawed, because who the hell says something like that the night before a wedding. And she can't even think of a response that would even begin to justify things. And it's in that moment that she realizes Brooke might be right, because you really shouldn't have to "justify things" when you're going to marry someone.

Instead, she cries, because it's stupid to want Julian after he broke her heart. And it's stupid to marry Lucas because he's "safe." And it's really stupid that she let everything get this far.

"Peyton, don't cry, I didn't mean to make you cry," Brooke says as she rushes to Peyton's side and envelopes her in a hug.

Peyton mumbles, "Not your fault."

"Oh Peyton," Brooke says. Brooke holds her until she stops crying.

"You're right, and I didn't mean to cry, it just sort of happened. And thank you for your honesty, it's one of the reasons I love you. But I just don't know what to do now."

"Talk to Lucas," Brooke says. "You can postpone things, and we'll just have a party tomorrow, no wedding needed."

"I feel ridiculous," Peyton says.

"Better to feel that way before you committed to a life with Lucas in front of all your family and friends, rather than after," Brooke says.

"Maybe I'll talk to my dad first," Peyton says.

"Sure, just maybe washing your face first," Brooke says as she wipes Peyton's eyes.

Peyton laughs and says, "Because that will fix my red rimmed eyes."

"It'll help. I'll keep Derek occupied with some easy manly tasks."

Peyton laughs again on her way to the bathroom. She looks back at her best friend who is heading out of the room and says, "Don't be drooling over my brother."

Brooke laughs and says, "I'm not making any promises."

Peyton shakes her head and proceeds to clean up. She climbs the stairs and knocks tentatively on the door.

"Almost ready," Larry says from behind the door. He opens the door, his tie unknotted hanging around his neck, and his collar standing up. His expression changes as soon as he sees Peyton. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"Don't be angry, but I don't think I'm going to marry Lucas tomorrow," Peyton says.

"Oh, honey," Larry says as he hugs her, not caring that the tears she can't help are seeping into his shirt.

"But so many people came, and you took leave, and Derek took leave, and I feel so guilty," Peyton says.

"I don't care if you get married tomorrow, I want you to be happy," Larry says as he holds her shoulders and looks into her eyes. "I'm sure Derek feels the same way. And if anyone else has the gall to be offended, well they can come talk to me."

"Thanks dad," Peyton says as she dries her eyes again.

Larry looks at her and hugs her again, and then asks, "Does this have anything to do with Sundance?"

Peyton tenses and then asks, "Is it that obvious?"

"Peyton, the first time I saw you two together I thought there's a man who will give my daughter the life she deserves," Larry says. "And I mean the first time I laid eyes on the two of you, before I found out he was a movie producer, and that he had money. It was just something between the two of you."

"Brooke said the same thing," Peyton says.

"It's the way he lights up your eyes, and makes you laugh even when you want to be angry," Larry says. "It's special and I will admit I was hoping you'd find your way back to each other, but I thought Lucas would do after everything that happened."

"But what if it's too late," Peyton says.

"Judging by the way he was looking at you today, I don't think it's too late," Larry says. "And if he's too stupid or too proud to come back, then there's going to be somebody else for you. Don't rush into anything Peyton, and don't be afraid to take chances with your heart."

"Thanks dad," Peyton says again. She looks at the clock and says, "I guess I should get dressed and go talk to Luke."

"I guess so," Larry says.

Peyton makes her way downstairs, and Derek is there, dressed and on time as usual.

"What's wrong," he asks as soon as he sees her.

"I don't want to get married tomorrow," Peyton says.

"Julian," Derek says immediately.

"Brooke," Peyton says.

Derek's eyes widen, and Peyton laughs. "Not that I'm in love with her, but Brooke will explain, I have to get dressed."

She leaves Derek and Brooke and proceeds to her room to get cleaned up. She doesn't know what she's going to do or what she's going to say. All she knows is that she needs to talk to Luke and it's too late to cancel the dinner but there's a chance she can talk to him before things go too much further.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading. I promise I'm going to post this whole story before the end of the summer. It's going to be fairly short, probably two or so chapters left.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or anything else you might recognize. Also, unbeta'd so forgive me mistakes**

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><p>They get to TRiC, and everything is in full swing. The room is abuzz with conversation and happy tidings. People are having drinks and there's some dancing. The tables and chairs for dinner are set up on one side of the room. It looks busy, but well organized and wonderfully decorated. Peyton is half tempted to tell Brooke that everything is fine, because, well she's come this far, why turn back now? But she looks at Nate and Haley and think about all the years that they've been together and they're ups and downs and how in love they still look and she knows she has to talk to Luke.<p>

She immediately scans the room, looking for Lucas but Skills makes eye contact with her and smiles widely before he turns towards that stage. He makes it to the microphone, which had been set up for the speech portion later in the evening, and announces her arrival. Everyone looks her way and for what feels like the millionth time today she wants to disappear. She smiles and Brooke steps up beside her, puts a supportive arm around her waist. It really helps to have her best friends support, both physically and psychologically.

Skills starts talking about the first time he saw Peyton. He describes a peaceful day and how he was going to be meeting Mouth at the river court. He admits that he thought she was a pretty, but strange. He recollects his surprise at the little white girl, running along the river rapping along to Run DMC.

This gets a big laugh from the audience, and Peyton can't help but laugh too. She's always liked Skills, and his way with words was just one of the reasons.

Lucas has made his way to her at this point, and Brooke lets go of her so that Lucas can put an arm around her. They never stop smiling or take their attention away from Skills.

He continues his speech, by getting a little more serious and talking about how stupid Lucas was to let Peyton go as many times as he did. He talks about how miserable Lucas was when Peyton started dating Nate, and then in college when Luke missed Peyton. He talks about how he knew Peyton was special to Lucas, and repeats that Lucas was an idiot to lose her as many times as he did. At this point, he smiles at Peyton and says that he would have been better to her. He winks at this point.

And there is another round of laughs, and a few whistles.

Skills gets serious again and concludes with how Lucas is a good guy, and deserving of all the best in life, and he's glad that means Peyton.

There's a little bit of tension in the air, given the strangeness of the situation, and Lucas' last wedding still fresh in many minds, but most people applaud.

Peyton can see that more people are getting ready to make their own speeches and she gestures to Brooke. Brooke gets the picture and heads for the stage herself, to divert people away from it.

Lucas looks at Peyton curiously, and he seems to gather that something has changed, because his expression changes to concern. He asks, "Is everything alright?"

Peyton shakes her head and says, "We need to talk."

"Okay, let's talk," Luke says.

Peyton says, "Not here."

She takes him by the hand and leads him to her office. She kind of wishes she had decided to go outside or somewhere else, and not where the book throwing had occurred a few weeks before. But at least here they had controlled access, people couldn't randomly overhear their conversation.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asks as soon as the door shuts behind them.

Peyton looks at him with such sadness, and he looks slightly panicked. He says, "I feel like I'm Cinderella and the clock has struck midnight, like everything is about to unravel."

Peyton is suddenly so afraid of telling him. It doesn't seem like it's worth it, but she remembers Brooke and her father, and it gives her some strength. She says, "I've been thinking, and I think we need to take some more time."

"Time?" Lucas says as confusion settles over his face momentarily. He then looks a little outraged, "You are just realizing this? Tonight?"

"I've been thinking for a few days now," Peyton says as she wrings her hands.

"And you didn't think it was important to share that you had some doubts?" Lucas says as he runs a hand through his hair.

"I thought it was just normal cold feet stuff," Peyton says. She looks him in the eye and says, "I thought I could do it."

"And what changed?" Lucas asks, looking a little less frustrated and a lot more concerned.

Peyton feels like she should tell the truth. Tell him what really started her doubts. She takes a breath and says, "I can't get the image of you and Lindsay standing in the church out of my mind. And I can't stop thinking about the fact that you said, I do."

"Lindsay? We're back to Lindsay?"

"Yes."

"Peyton, I told you that I'm in this with you."

"But are you absolutely sure? It kind of feels like you're getting married just to be married and it doesn't really matter to who."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it feels like settling," Peyton says quietly.

Lucas looks taken back and he blinks, and turns towards the door. He paces a few times, then faces her and asks, "Where is this coming from? All of our friends are out there, and we're supposed to be married tomorrow, and you tell me this now?"

"Better tonight than tomorrow at the altar," Brooke says.

Both Luke and Peyton turn towards her. Brooke shuts the door behind her and she says, "You probably should have locked the door."

Peyton gives her a glare, hoping it conveys her what the hell are you doing thoughts.

"Peyt, Nate wants to talk to you, I said I'd send you his way," Brooke says. She leaves the door open, and Peyton walks out.

"I'll be right back," Peyton says as she shuts the door.

Brooke stays near the door and directs her gaze at Luke as she says, "I asked you what would happen if Peyton wanted time, and you said you'd be fine with it."

"I thought it was hypothetical," Lucas says.

"It was, at that point," Brooke says. Her expression gets darker, and she says, "But you are really showing your true colors lately."

"What does that mean?" Lucas asks.

"When we came back, you were pretty arrogant about your relationship with Lindsay. And I think you took a few liberties with Peyton's feelings," Brooke says.

"Liberties?"

"You kissed her, and then you gave her this office space, and then told her she ruined your life," Brooke says. "You've been sending so many mixed signals, and that's what has made me say something."

"Proposing to her wasn't a mixed signal was it?"

"You asked her to run away to Vegas to get married, and she said yes," Brooke says. "But that's different from a real proposal. And you came back, to do it right. But I don't think this is the right choice."

"I'm not sure that it's up to you," Lucas says.

"She's had enough ups and downs in her life, and you've played a huge role in some of them," Brooke says. "And I need to stop you and think about it this."

"I don't get where this is going," Lucas says.

"I'm saying you shouldn't marry Peyton, at least not tomorrow," Brooke says.

Lucas looks dumbfounded.

"I think this is a mistake, I think you're afraid to be alone and to take any chances with your heart, and I don't want Peyton to be a consolation prize."

"She isn't," Lucas says.

"Luke, you came to me when all your dreams came true, and when your world fell apart. You and I have talked about everything but Peyton for the last few years. And since we've come back, I realized that there is a significant amount I don't know about her. And that's why I'm telling Peyton she doesn't have to rush, because I want you both to go after what you really want, and not choose each other because you're scared, and still hurting. And if you really want each other, great! Let's have a wedding tomorrow."

Peyton shows up somewhere during Brooke's speech and she looks at Brooke, and then at Luke. Her eyes go wide with sudden understanding. She looks at Luke and asks, "You went to see Brooke after you left me in the hotel room?"

Lucas looks extremely guilty and Peyton is suddenly filled with anger.

"I know it was years ago, but I can't believe you left me alone after proposing, and went running to Brooke. I thought we had left that all behind us."

Brooke speaks up, "Peyton, nothing happened, he was in town and sad and needed a friend. We went out and drank a little, but nothing happened."

"It's true," Lucas agrees.

"I feel like you're leaving something out," Peyton says. She knows Brooke's facial ticks and she knows there's more, she can feel it. If the past few days are testament to anything, it's that she and Brooke know each other better than they even knew. And something about this admission feels off.

Lucas looks at Brooke, and Brooke looks panicked.

Luke says, "I kissed her."

Brooke says, "There was a misunderstanding and people thought we were engaged."

Brooke's face blanks, Lucas looks like he wishes he could take back what he said, and Peyton looks totally caught off guard. She looks between them and can't think of anything to say, so she leaves the room. She heads for the sound booth, because she can lock that door, and there isn't a crowd waiting for her.

Brooke then glares at Lucas and growls, "You don't admit that to the girl you want to marry the day before your wedding. Especially after you gave the ring to someone else, and even if she's telling you she wants to call it off."

She then goes after Peyton. The door to the sound booth is locked, but Peyton is sitting at the board, so Brooke stands next to one of the mics in the recording area. She starts talking, and hopes Peyton can hear, "Peyton, I'm sorry. I don't know why I brought it up."

Peyton speaks, but Brooke doesn't hear. Peyton gestures to the headphones, and waits for Brooke to put them on, then speaks again, "You know exactly why."

Brooke looks surprised, but Peyton continues, "You obviously think that this is Luke being Luke, running from one relationship into another without dealing with his feelings. He did it in high school, and in college apparently, and now"

Brooke looks relieved and she says, "How long do you think it'll be before he realizes he has a problem?"

Peyton gives Brooke a serious look and says, "Probably about as long as it will take you to admit you're still a little in love with him."

"I am not," Brooke retorts.

"You love us both, I get that. But thinking back, I can see how you've struggled with it, whether you noticed it or not."

"How can you say that I love him when I've spent the last month planning a wedding for you."

"Because it was for me," Peyton says. "And you're pretty selfless when it comes to me."

"You think highly of yourself, don't you," Brooke says.

"Be honest with me Brooke, I've been honest with you," Peyton says.

Brooke sighs, and says, "To tell you the truth, I don't think I've been honest with myself."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that Lucas and I have been talking a lot since you two broke up. It means that I pushed him towards Lindsay and then was so relieved when she left him, at the time I thought because that opened the door for you, but I don't know, maybe you're right."

"Brooke, I think we're both pretty great at being oblivious to things like this, and I think that's what we've been missing while we were apart."

"It's a good thing we're close again, isn't it," Brooke says.

Peyton unlocks the door and Brooke comes over and hugs her. They're sitting together on the bench when Lucas walks in.

"Everything okay in here?" he asks.

"We're fine," Brooke says.

"Are we okay?" Peyton asks as she looks up at him.

"You both threw a lot at me, and I really didn't know what to do with it," Lucas says. "But I sat down and I just thought about everything, and I thought of what Keith would think, and I realized that you're both right."

The girls look at each other, and share a look of amazement.

"I'm rushing into this, and, I have been an ass. And you've both been amazing, and I've been more like Dan than Keith. I'm sorry, for everything," Lucas says.

"Oh Luke, I didn't mean to imply you were anything like Dan," Peyton says.

"Me either," Brooke says.

"But it's true. He left my mom, and turned around and got together with Deb," Lucas says.

"That was different," Peyton says.

"I'm going to take some time, get to know myself again, what I want in life, write another book maybe," Lucas says.

"You're not angry we're calling it off?"

"How can I possibly be angry that someone had the good sense to reevaluate our decision before we went through with it," Lucas says as he looks at Brooke.

"She says she planned this just so we could have a big party," Peyton says.

"I have a feeling I'm going to get teased about not being able to get a girl to marry me for awhile," Lucas says.

They all laugh and then it's suddenly too silent.

"I wouldn't worry, I think someone will say yes when you're ready," Peyton says.

Lucas looks confused, and Peyton is very nearly smirking.

Brooke pinches Peyton, while she says, "Anyway, we should probably go tell everyone that it's off."

Peyton looks at them, and says, "Hey Luke, can we talk for a second?"

He turns, and is a little surprised, and Brooke says, "I'll head out and see what I can do about tomorrow."

Brooke leaves and Peyton doesn't immediately say anything.

"So what did Nate want?" Lucas asks.

"He wanted to talk about this decision, about you," Peyton says.

"Everyone seems to be thinking the same thing," Lucas says.

"We did kind of rush into things," Peyton says. Lucas turns away, but Peyton takes him by the hand, and says, "We might've rushed, but I want you to know that I never thought that I was settling, until Brooke brought it up."

"Blinded by love?" Lucas says with a small teasing smile.

Peyton smiles, and says, "Something like that. But, like you said, I'm glad that she had the sense to make us think about it and say something before tomorrow."

"I wrote two books about you, and I thought that was because I loved you more than anyone else, but maybe it just means you're my muse," Lucas says.

"Aww, Luke," Peyton says. "I get that, I thought so too, but maybe we've been forcing something that never was? It's weird to try to spell it all out, and maybe we're not meant to understand everything. But I'm not lying when I say you're always going to have a piece of my heart."

"Right now, looking back, I feel like we were always rushing to get to someplace that we didn't understand," Lucas says.

"That's a pretty good way to describe it," Peyton says.

A comfortable silence settles over them, and they both seem to be lost in their own memories. If Peyton had been paying attention, she would have noticed that Lucas had his own breakthrough, his own sudden realization of a truth. He lets her finish her trip down memory lane before ambushing her.

"So, who is he?" Lucas says.

"What?" Peyton asks.

"I do know you fairly well, and you've looked a little guilty tonight, I can only assume that's someone else involved."

"How is it everyone seems to be able to read me so well," Peyton says.

"You've been away too long. Don't you know that you might be able to hide things from strangers, but not from your friends?" Lucas says.

"The things you say," Peyton mumbles.

"You're avoiding the question," Lucas says.

"He's someone I knew in California," Peyton says.

"That was kind of what I expected," Lucas says. "Or Jake."

Peyton nudges him and says, "How is Jake?"

"I ran into him a few times, and he seems happy," Luke says.

"That's really good to hear," Peyton says.

"So the guy?" Lucas says.

"He changed my life," Peyton says. "He was fun, and different."

"Where, or how, did you meet him?" Lucas asks.

"Isn't this weird for you, to have this conversation?"

"You think it would be, but it isn't. I'm calm, and maybe a little relieved. And I want to know, I feel like we've been avoiding an elephant in the room. I thought it was Lindsay, but then I realized I never asked what happened in California."

"You didn't, no one did," Peyton says. "It was weird, it was like no one believed I had anything worth mentioning when I came back."

"I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend," Lucas says. "You at least deserved that much from me."

"Did I?"

"You did. You said someday, and I didn't understand, like Brooke said, I'm not the best at consistency. I mean, it wasn't a no, it was a not right now. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, and I'm sorry that I hurt you."

"Thanks," Peyton says. "I guess I kind of needed that."

"But I'm not going to let you leave without telling me about your love story, who knows, maybe I'll write a book about it," Lucas says, his teasing smile making another appearance.

"Alright, the first time I met him was the day you left me in the hotel room," Peyton says. "He was at the label and he made a pass at me, but I really wasn't in the mood for any of that. But before he left, he managed to make so much sense, and he was just so charismatic."

"He sounds pretty great already. But you didn't start dating there."

"No, not in fact I didn't seem him again for about another year."

"A year?"

"When I showed up at your book signing, and you were kissing Lindsay, and I ran out, and we went to his fundraising event."

"Wait, you came to the signing?" Lucas said. "I had no idea that you were there."

"I kind of thought you called because maybe you wanted to see where things were going, but I got there and saw you with Lindsay, and realized that I had the wrong idea," Peyton says, shyly.

"But you didn't, that was the first time she kissed me, and I really wanted you to be there," Lucas says.

"Oh, well, another missed opportunity, I guess," Peyton says.

"But you ran into this guy again?" Lucas says. "And you are smiling about it, years later, this guy must be special."

"I guess, you're right," Peyton says.

"So you were together?"

"We were together, but he couldn't get over the fact that I was reading your book, over and over," Peyton says.

"Oh," Lucas says.

"Yeah, it's my favorite book, not because I'm in it, but it reminded me of who I was and where I came from," Peyton says. "And I felt like it kept me close to my friends, even when they were across the country, and we weren't talking."

"I get that, I read it too, and not because I wrote it," Lucas says.

"Which is hard to understand if you weren't there, I guess," Peyton says.

"So... where is he now?" Lucas asks.

"I really don't know," Peyton says.

"I hope he realizes how much of an idiot he is," Lucas says. "For your sake."

"You say that like you know for sure he care about me, or that he'll forgive," Peyton says.

"Anyone who doesn't realize how special you are is a fool, and he's the one who should be seeking your forgiveness," Lucas says.

Brooke knocks on the door.

"Hey guys," she says as she opens the door. "I am glad to see that you're both alive, and no blood or tears have been shed."

"We're finally catching up," Lucas says.

"That's great," Brooke says as she tries to discern how much Lucas knows.

"There's a lot more to listen to, but I think you came here to say something?" Lucas says.

"Right, so I made an announcement about calling it off, and people seemed relieved actually. So come join the party," Brooke says.

Lucas and Peyton share a look of amusement, as Brooke waits for them. Lucas holds out his hand, and Peyton takes it. And as they approach Brooke, Lucas hands Peyton off to her. Brooke is giddy, and it's then that Peyton realizes that she actually feels pretty giddy too. She isn't carrying around all the fear and confusion that plagued her before, and she is actually being completely truthful with her friends. And it just feels like everything is going in the right direction for once.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading. It's going to be fairly short, probably two or so chapters left.<strong>


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